


Red Cup Russian Roulette

by No1fan15



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Drinking, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Partying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2020-01-15 01:31:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18488527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/No1fan15/pseuds/No1fan15
Summary: It's understandable to indulge in a wild night to make sure your friend isn't alone. Right?





	Red Cup Russian Roulette

**Author's Note:**

> Another sort of songfic - This one is based on Drug by Simple Creatures

“You wanna come with me?”

A question that he'd heard many times before. Tien glanced over to where Yamcha was lounging against a chair. They'd run into each other in town and Tien had been invited over for tea. What started as just catching up quickly turned to a proposition. Yamcha was planning to hit up a party later that night, no doubt the sort he'd attended before, and wanted some company.

Tien was not someone you would describe as a “party person”. However after noting that Yamcha was on the rebound after yet another fight with Bulma Tien had given it more thought. He knew Yamcha usually got wasted and would go back to Bulma begging to be forgiven the next day, despite the lack of wrongdoing on his part. It made some part of him angry. It also made him worry. Yamcha wasn't exactly known for his self preservation skills. The argument he had described sounded nastier than usual and Tien had suddenly felt that leaving his friend alone wasn’t good idea.

Thus why he was standing in a crowded nightclub with much too loud music blaring at him while Yamcha ordered them drinks with names he couldn’t pronounce.

 

“Do you get this sort of thing often?” Tien half shouted over the latest song. Yamcha laughed and lifted his glass.

“Hell if I remember!”

That wasn’t an encouraging sign.

Tien took one sip of his drink before deciding it wasn’t for him. When Yamcha noticed he hadn’t touched it he simply slid it down the bar to replace his somehow already empty cup. With his companion two drinks in Tien took a moment to look at their surroundings. Even if Yamcha was on his way to being blissfully drunk Tien's training wouldn’t let him rest until he'd scoped out at least three exits.

“Not gonna drink anything?”

“No. Nothing here is really my taste.” Tien said. Yamcha nudged him with an elbow.

“Taste doesn’t matter if you have enough of it.” he said with a smirk. While he technically had a point Tien wasn’t sure he liked it. Yamcha looked disappointed at Tien's lack of reply and went back to focusing on his drink. Tien couldn’t help but feel a little bit guilty. Yamcha had invited him out for a fun night and so far all he'd done was ignore his efforts. With a heavy sigh he decided he could spare one night of stupid, reckless, fun. He leaned over to the bartender and ordered himself a cup of sake. He noticed Yamcha smiling at him.

“Finally decide to cut loose?” he asked. Tien returned his grin as he grabbed his glass.

“Only for you.” he said as he quickly downed the contents. It burned on the way down but soon settled into a steady warmth in his chest. It had been a while since he let himself make stupid choices and his first drink of the night would likely not be the last. “This is a lot less like a party than I expected.”

“The party comes later! This is just the pre game.” Yamcha explained. Tien ordered another drink.

After a few more cups of sake and the bartender cutting Yamcha off for the night Tien was feeling much more prepared for whatever dumb shit the night threw at him. The music in the club hadn’t lowered in volume but he was feeling more receptive to it. As the next song came on he found himself tapping his fingers along to it. Yamcha looked over to him with a face now tinged pink.

“You wanna dance?” he said a bit too loudly. Tien only gave the idea a second or two to sink in before he agreed.

“Sure. You up for teaching me?” he said. Yamcha grinned widely and stood up.

“Why not? Let’s go!”

 

The music was even louder on the dance floor. Throngs of people moved around them in their own drunken dances. Yamcha shouted an instruction of some kind to him but Tien couldn't hear it. He did his best to follow along based on body language alone. Though it took him a while Yamcha seemed to finally process the lack of vocal communication and grabbed Tien's hands to lead him.

Tien wasn’t sure if it was the booze or something else that made his body heat up. He did his best to focus on the dance but he kept getting distracted. Mostly by Yamcha. His partner was dead set on dancing properly despite his intoxication. With every missed step and wobbly spin he only got more determined. Tien watched him in a way one could describe as entranced. From the spotlights reflecting in his eyes to the way his hair fell over his shoulders every part of him suddenly seemed very interesting.

“What did ya think?” Yamcha shouted over the end of the song. Tien snapped back into the moment long enough to smile.

“Better than I expected.” he said. Yamcha matched his expression.

“We're just getting started!” he said. He glanced down at his phone. “That party starts soon. Ready to go?”

“Ready as I'll ever be.” Tien said. Truth be told he could probably do with another drink but something made him want to go as soon as possible. Maybe his headache from the music had finally caught up to him. Regardless he gave his best confident look and linked and arm though Yamchas. “Lead the way.”

 

The way was apparently through several downtown streets and into the residential district. Tien kept his hold on Yamchas arm mainly to keep him from tipping over. With all the alcohol he’d taken in so far Tien was honestly surprised Yamcha was up for a party of any sort. As they walked Tien noted their surroundings. They were fast approaching the edge of the city and individual houses were popping up more and more often. He could faintly hear cheering and music coming from around a block away. Judging from how Yamcha picked up their pace he assumed it was the venue for the party they were attending. It didn’t take much longer to arrive at the house in question. 

It was two stories and somewhat odd. The paint was peeling but the garden was well kept. Warped wooden steps led the way up to a very modern looking porch swing. They didn’t even need to knock as someone had spotted them from the window. The door swung open to reveal a very brightly dressed young man beaming at them. He had pale blue hair in braids done close to his head that contrasted his dark skin. Pink eyes, likely contacts, sparkled and his overalls were covered in various patches. 

“The MVP has arrived! Good to see you, man. It’s been a while.” he said enthusiastically. Yamcha returned the greeting with a fist bump. 

“Same to you. You guys are stuck with me for another night, I’m afraid.” Yamcha said. The man laughed. 

“We’re always happy to have you.” he said. He turned his attention to Tien. “Who’s your friend?” 

“This is Tien. I managed to drag him out with me this time.” Yamcha said. 

“So this is ol’ three eyes! It’s great to finally meet you!” said the man as he reached out for a handshake. 

“You’ve heard of me?” Tien asked as he shook hands. As buzzed as he was he was coherent enough to know that was odd. 

“Of course! Yamcha talks about you a lot.” said the man. “You and the rest of his crazy friend group. We still got bullet holes in the wall from that chick with the allergies.” 

“You brought Launch to one of these?” Tien said. Yamcha shrugged. 

“She just showed up. Not my fault.” he said. Tien somehow doubted that statement but didn’t look into it further. The man who had opened the door stepped aside to let them in.

“Join the party, guys. Have some fun.” he said. “Oh, name’s Addi by the way. Give me a shout if you need something.”

”Will do.” Yamcha assured him. Tien followed his lead around the house.

Before long a group of girls swarmed them. Obviously more people Yamcha knew due to their immediate teasing of him. A lilac haired and pierced punk girl tried to headlock him on sight. The two others stood to the side and cheered her on. Their styles were a tad more subtle but noticeable. One had hair a firery red only obtainable with dye and thick rimmed glasses. She finished the look with a striped crop top and jeans clipped to suspenders that were more fashion than function. Bright blue eyeshadow popped next to her tanned skin. The last girl had a simple solid coloured black dress accented with a bright white hijab. Once they’d stopped heckling Yamcha long enough to notice Tien they introduced themselves. 

“Can’t believe old wolf boy got someone to come with him.” said the one with the glasses. 

“I’m not totally hopeless, you know.” Yamcha said. He gestured to the punk girl currently attempting to keep a chokehold on him. “This is Molly.”

”A pleasure to meet you.” Tien said. Molly released Yamcha from her grasp and gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. 

“You too, triclops. Yams talks about you all the time.” she said. 

“So I’ve heard.” Tien noted. 

“I can see why he does now.” said the glasses girl. She shook his hand with a grin. “Name’s Rita. This is my girlfriend Xana.” 

“Nice to meet the both of you.” Tien said as he greeted both of them.

”I’m surprised Yamcha managed to convince you to come with him.” Xana said. “Are you here to keep him from flying into the backyard tree again?” 

“Am I what?” Tien said. He wasn’t sure if he’d heard her properly or if the sake was taking a stronger hold on him. 

“That was one time.” Yamcha interjected. 

“Yeah, and so was the roof and the pool and the telephone line...” Rita listed, ticking off events on her fingers. Yamcha had enough self awareness left to look embarrassed. 

“I’ll keep him grounded.” Tien said. He really didn’t want to know how many more times Yamcha had managed to collide with various neighbourhood objects. 

“You do that. This dumbass needs all the help he can get.” Xana said. Molly and Rita nodded. 

“Break his leg again if you have to. We’ll vouch for the motive.” Molly said. 

“I’ll make sure to have that in mind.” Tien said. He wasn’t surprised that Yamcha had shared that particular story by this point. With a few more short words they kept walking. Yamcha quickly located the snack table and devoured several handfuls of chips. 

 

“Ayyy, Y-man!” Yet another party patron approached them. This one was a guy who looked eerily similar to Yamcha himself. A smattering of acne belied his age. He could also do with a shower but judging from the vibe of this party it might be best to hold off until the morning came. A loose leather jacket somewhat covered a vintage band t shirt. Beneath it was a pair of baggy ripped jeans and sneakers that had seen hell. 

“Kit! It’s been a while!” Yamcha said. He brought the younger man into a brief half hug. “How are ya?” 

“Doin a lot better now.” said Kit. He fished around in his jacket pocket and brought out a small neon colored plastic chip. It was similar to ones Tien had seen from various AA agencies but the branding wasn’t anything he recognized. “Check it out!” 

“Six months! Hell yeah! I’m so proud of you man!” Yamcha exclaimed. 

“I got you to thank for it.” Kit said as he returned the chip. A shy smile had grown on his face. “That senzu thing? Saved my life. I dunno where I’d be now without it.” 

“It saved you in the moment but everything since has been all you.” Yamcha said. “I’m so glad you turned things around.” 

“So am I.” Kit said. He finally seemed to notice Tien. “Hey, is this that Ten dude you keep talking about?” 

“In the flesh.” Tien said. He was slowly getting used to everyone here already knowing him. Kit reached over for a very enthusiastic handshake. 

“Oh man, it’s so awesome to meet you.” he said. “You’re the one who taught Yamcha how to fly, right?” 

“Yeah. Took him a while to get the hang of it.” Tien said. Yamcha jabbed him with his elbow. 

“He promised me that once I’ve got a year clean he’ll teach me.” Kit said. He shoved his hands in his pockets and shifted anxiously. “I’m really looking forward to it. I, uh, hope I do okay.” 

“You’re gonna do great!” Yamcha assured him. Kit smiled again and relaxed. 

“Thanks. For everything. You, um, staying long tonight?”

”Dunno yet. Tien still has to meet everyone.” Yamcha said. “Plus Molly told me you’re doing a little concert later.” 

“Yeah! Me and a couple of friends from Rails put together a band.” Kit said. “We’re not that good yet, though.” 

“I’ll be there anyways!” Yamcha said. He talked to Kit for a little bit longer before they moved on. 

 

“He was... interesting.” Tien commented as he watched the man leave. Yamcha had somehow grabbed a cup full of what had to be alcohol and took a sip from it.

”Who, Kit?” he asked.

”Yeah. I haven’t seen you that happy to talk to someone in a while.” Tien said.

”Yeah, he’s a good kid. To be honest I was sort of worried I’d have to listen to someone tell me about him rather than seeing him myself.” Yamcha said. 

“I take it he’s been through some stuff.” Tien said. Yamcha took another swig of his drink. 

“Most of the people here have.” he pointed out. “But, uh, yeah. He’s been doing a lot better lately. Getting him into Rails was a big step.” 

Tien considered asking what that was but opted against it. He shouldn’t pry. However it seemed that drunk Yamcha was more than willing to explain.

”It’s a rehab program.” he said. “Damn good one too. It’s good to see he’s making friends there.” 

“Alcohol?” Tien asked.

”Nah.” 

“Oh.” 

“Lot of the people I know here came from Rails. I try to give them decent advice when it comes to all the adult life stuff. Not like I’m a stellar example myself but I think it helps some of them.” Yamcha continued. “Kit was one of the worse off ones when I met him. I’m lucky I left some senzu in my jacket.” 

“It’s good to see you helping people.” Tien said. He gave Yamcha the best smile he could manage after three drinks. “You’ve got a knack for it.” 

“Aww, thank you.” Yamcha drawled with a grin. He leaned against Tien’s shoulder and downed the rest of his drink. The silence that settled between them was only broken by the background chatter of the party. As fun as meeting all of Yamchas friends was Tien was starting to worry for his companions wellbeing. He’d downed at least five drinks that Tien was aware of and there was the possibility of more. He took Yamchas empty cup from him and placed it on a nearby table. 

“How are you feeling?” he asked. Yamcha thought on it for a moment. 

“Warm. N’ kinda fuzzy.” he concluded. “Everythin’s real fun tho. Don’t wanna leave yet.” 

“Alright but more booze for you.” Tien said. 

“Fair enough. You ‘cn go home if you want.” Yamcha said. Tien shook his head. 

“I said I’d go with you. So I’m going to stay.” he said. Yamchas smile got bigger.

”Really? You’re such a good friend.” he said. He took Tien’s hand and began pulling him towards the back door. “C’mon. Everyone’s outside ‘n you gotta say hi.” 

 

Over the next couple of hours Tien found himself shaking hands with people he wouldn’t remember the names of and finishing drinks he’d never asked for but received. Time was starting to feel a tad blurry. Everything was a mashup of half heard conversations and barely audible music. When someone said it was approaching one in the morning he was shocked. Hadn’t they arrived at eleven? Before he could ponder the consequences of staying this long someone on the porch shouted for attention. The band, the one with that Kit guy, was starting to play. 

A rough sounding electric guitar screeched to life and within seconds the whole crowd was cheering. Tien himself had no idea what the song they were covering was but everyone else seemed into it. A simple chant spread like wildfire before the lyrics started. Kit managed to stay on tune while strumming out the chords. Tien watched the spectacle from the far end of the yard. A house party pop rock concert wasn’t exactly in his list of comfortable situations. Maybe the alcohol was starting to convince him otherwise. He watched Yamcha sing along to the band with a silent curiosity. As boozed up as he was he was managing to stand. Half screaming the words when he tried to sing and occasionally punching a fist into the air. Tien wondered why Yamcha had come to this kind of party in the first place. He definitely fit in despite being at least five years older than everyone else there. It dawned on Tien’s drunken brain that perhaps that wasn’t a good thing.

They were all young and figuring themselves out. Hadn’t he and Yamcha already done that? And if the frequency of his “breaks” with Bulma was any indicator he was likely drinking more than anyone else there. Was this the only thing he did to deal with it? More and more worrying questions started to rise in Tien’s mind. Why had Yamcha asked him to come along? Had he expected things to be worse tonight? Was that why he wanted someone who didn’t party to be there? As he thought the band launched into the next verse. One of the lines made something click. 

“Because I can't watch you dig your own grave, dig your own grave, today  
So I'll just disappear with no trace from here, with no trace.”

That was it, wasn’t it? Every time he’d visited Yamcha before he’d listen to his latest break up with Bulma, awkwardly attempt to give him some advice, and then leave. He’d never stayed before. As he watched Yamcha join in the crowd singing to the last few notes of the song he had an idea. Granted given his drunken state it likely wasn’t a good one but he acted on it nonetheless. He walked over to Yamcha and tapped him on the shoulder. 

“Hey. Can we talk for a sec?” he asked. After a moment of processing the question Yamcha nodded. 

“Sure. What’s up?” 

“Not here.” Tien clarified. He glanced at the band setting up for their next number. “Too loud.” 

“Right, right. Let’s head in.” Yamcha said. As they walked back into the building Tien tried to formulate a casual way to start the conversation. His rational mind had around a one in six chance against his drunk one. When Yamcha started heading towards a cluster of semi occupied couches Tien grabbed his arm. 

“Uh... is there anywhere more... private?” he said. Yamcha took a second to think about it and changed their direction towards the stairs. Luckily there was an empty guest room on the second floor. Tien tried to get his thoughts in order as they entered it. 

 

“So. What’d you wanna talk ‘bout?” Yamcha asked. “If you wanna leave you can jus’ go.”

“It’s not that.” Tien said. How could he say this without creating a misunderstanding? “I wanted to know...” 

“Know what?”

”Why are you scared?”

Nope. That wasn’t it. Tien scrambled to explain. 

“I mean... you go to a lot of these things right? And you’ve never asked me to come with you before. So... I thought... maybe you expected you’d do something....bad?” he said weakly. He sighed as Yamcha continued to look confused. 

“.... is that what you think I invited you for?” Yamcha said slowly. 

“Maybe? I don’t know. It could be you just wanted me to have fun and I’m too drunk to think that’s the only reason.” Tien said. 

“Well if course I wanted you to have fun.” Yamcha said. He paused and sat on the edge of the bed. “... but... you’re not wrong.” 

“I am?” Tien said. Now that got his attention. He tried to shake off the tipsy feeling he had and sat next to Yamcha. 

“Yeah. You... have a point.” Yamcha said. He scowled as his brain tried to put together a coherent sentence. “I... was scared. Every time I come to one of these I drink more and care less. I guess I thought that if I did it again.... especially now... that I’d stop caring. About me.” 

“So you asked me to come with you.” Tien finished. Yamcha nodded. 

“You always cared. Even when you shouldn’t have.” he said. “Suppose I reasoned you’d keep caring after seeing all this.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Tien asked.

“Have you been paying attention? I’m six drinks or some shit into the night and keep gettin’ more. This is like, my weekly routine.” Yamcha said. He laughed quietly but it wasn’t a happy one. “Why should you care about me when I obviously don’t?” 

“.... you do care.” Tien said after a moment. “Maybe not about yourself, and definitely not as much as you should, but you really care about your friends here. All of them are happy to see you. You saved Kits life. The same is true for the rest of us. Remember when you gave Chiaotzu and I cooking lessons?”

“There’s still flour in my tiles.” Yamcha said with a snort.

“But you still did it. You cared. You still do.” Tien said. He smiled as he felt he was finally getting somewhere. Said smile faded slightly when he noticed the small tremor in Yamchas shoulders. ”Yamcha? Are you-“

He was cut off by an unexpected hug. Once he’d registered that it was happening he did his best to return it. He didn’t think he’d ever gotten a proper hug from Yamcha before. It was very warm. Maybe some of that was due to the booze in his system. 

“Thanks. F’r everything.” Yamcha mumbled. His voice was muffled by Tien’s shirt but it was easy to tell he’d started crying. 

“S’okay. That’s what friends are for.” Tien said. After a few more sniffles Yamcha pulled back.

“M’glad you stayed.” he said. He swiped at some runaway tears. “Things would have been a lot worse if y’ didn’t.”

“That’s why I’m here.” Tien said. He reached out to take one of Yamcha’s hands and held it gently. “I promise I’m not gonna leave this time, okay? Not until you start caring about yourself again.”

“Okay.” Yamcha said. He didn’t look up at Tien but he held his hand a little tighter. After around three seconds Tien was suddenly aware of how awkward it was. It seemed Yamcha had reached the same conclusion as they both silently withdrew their hands. 

“Wanna go back down? Kit’s probably finishing his show now.” Tien suggested. 

“Yeah. I’m gonna grab some water first.” Yamcha said. He stood up unsteadily and took a second to find his balance. Despite feeling the same way Tien joined him and put an arm around him. 

“If we both lean in neither of us will fall.” he reasoned. Yamcha nodded and returned the gesture. 

“Right. Let’s go.” he said. 

 

After quite a bit of water and a few more songs the party began to wind down. Yamcha hastily said his goodbyes to his friends and together he and Tien began to walk back towards the city. 

“Do y’ wanna fly home?” Tien asked after a few minutes of uneven steps. 

“Thought you were supposed to keep me grounded.” Yamcha pointed out. Tien started hovering a few inches above the pavement and grabbed Yamcha’s hand.

”It’s fine if you don’ let go.” he said. Yamcha smiled and matched his height. 

“Got it.” he said. The rest of the flight home, though a tad winding, went well. The cold air of the early morning sobered them up slightly. By the time they landed on the doorstep of Yamcha’s apartment building they were a bit more aware of things then when they started. Chief of which was Tien’s lack of immediate residence. 

“Wanna stay over?” Yamcha offered. “S’like four anyways.” 

“I’ll gladly take your couch.” Tien said. 

For a night that had started in an unknown bar with strange drinks it had ended surprisingly well. Tien reflected a bit as he situated himself on Yamcha’s couch. He knew he’d be dealing with a massive hangover once he woke up, he could already feel it starting, but reasoned that the end result of the night was worth it. 

“Sweet dreams.” Yamcha said with a yawn as he walked past. “Don’t let the broken springs bite.” 

“I’ll tell ‘em not to.” Tien replied. He laid down and immediately felt a wave of fatigue wash over him. Staying over was a good choice. 

“Hey, Tien?”

”Yeah?”

”..... I don’t think I’m gonna go back to Bulma tomorrow.” 

With that Yamcha left the room and Tien began to drift off to sleep. He’d process the full weight behind that statement later. Now was the time for rest. Even as he finally started to black out that song from earlier got itself stuck in his head. 

 

 

 

 

 _I got a feeling that the weather's gonna change_  
_So I'm turning off my brain for a minute_

 _I had a premonition that tonight is getting strange_  
_So I'm turning up the sound when you get in_

 _Because I can't watch you dig your own grave, dig your own grave, today_  
_And I can't hear a word that you say, a word that you say_

_You got me going 'round in circles in my head_

  
_The signals that we send_  
_Electric confidence_

  
_Push me, pull me down_  
_Pick me up, drag me 'round_

  
_Parade me through the town_  
_Fake jewelry wear me out_

  
_Can't get enough of your drug_

 

 


End file.
